The Little Things

I never realized how much the little things in your life matter. The little things in my life have been upended since Hurricane Katrina. I know am lucky because my home is undamaged, I have a job and all my friends and family are safe. But damn, I would like a large caramel frappuccino from Barnes & Noble!! Hey, I am greedy. I want my Barnes & Noble open now instead of the beginning of the year!! Nothing better than browsing through all the books and like the impulse buyer I am, taking home a few sci fi books. I don't think there is a single bookstore open on the Coast! I know I can order online but it's not the same.

Another little thing, or maybe it's not so little, is the freedom of movement. Two months later, and still there is the barbed wire that runs across the railroad tracks in Gulfport and Long Beach. The railroad tracks are parallel to the beach and about 1/2 mile from the beach. There are access points where the National Guard checks id. That means I still can't take my ventures at Gulfport Harbor and beach.

In this world, I have to call ahead to make sure a store is open. I have to wait until vendors who I know are located in the worst hit places call before I can send payments that are due from August. My company's bank still doesn't have the capability to let me know if a check has cleared if that check was written before August.

The little things add up. But there are a few little things that are signs of progress. The traffic light at the I-110 exit ramps in D'Iberville have been working for a few days. All the debris that was washed up on the median along I-110 was cleared away this past week!!

But most importantly, the FEMA trailers are really starting to pour in. Where once was an empty space where a home once stood, there are now trailers. My company is set to start rebuilding the seafood plant by the end of this month. And today, the cooling units in the cold storage were turned on!! The only complaint I have is still no plans to rebuild our offices. They aren't serious about converting one of the semi-trailers into an office, are they?

It's hard to realize just how much the little things are a part of your life until they are gone. And I still want a caramel frappuccino from Barnes & Noble.